Healthy Mexican Food
The temptation of incredibly tasty tacos, hamburgers, and enchiladas is daunting – Mexican street food is so uniquely satisfying and sabroso (yummy) that it is hard to say “no.” Taste aside, street food in Mexico can add to the waistline, quickly. For those living in Mexico or traveling for an extended period of time, it...
The Indigenous Ingredients
Cooks in Mexico still rely on the ingredients which were popular before the Spanish conquest… Corn, beans and squash: The Aztec Trio. Traditional Mexican food is heavy in these three main ingredients. Combined with hunted game meats, such as deer or rabbit, the vegetable and grain trio made for an incredibly healthy diet. Corn, beans,...
Recipe: Bean and Squash Blossom Quesadillas
The combination of corn tortillas, squash blossoms, and beans is a great way to enjoy the Aztec trio. When possible, purchase or make corn tortillas made from freshly ground corn. In most areas of Mexico there is usually a señora in each neighborhood or village that will sell fresh, handmade tortillas by the dozen. This...
Recipe: Shredded Chicken Tacos
Ingredients Two chicken breasts, grilled or boiled until cooked 1/2 cup natural yogurt (no sugar) 12 small corn tortillas Condiments: Choose one or more of the below to dress up your tacos for an authentic Mexican treat! Escapeche – pickled hot peppers and vegetables (including carrots, onions, potatoes, and cauliflower), a common condiment found on...
Shopping in Mexico’s Markets
Discover the "underlying elegance" among the chaos of a Mexican mercado
Mexican markets can be crowded, loud, hot, and confusing. Shoppers expect low tarp ceilings, uneven floors, and obstructions. Unusual smells and noises are distracting while shoppers dodge dogs and toddlers underfoot. At first glance a market may appear overwhelming… The seeming chaos is masking the underlying elegance of the Mexican market: a place to buy...
Fermented Drinks
Tepache & Pulque
Looking for a break from the normal cerveza (beer)? Mexico has a long tradition of fermenting alcoholic beverages. The two most notable drinks are tepache and pulque. Tepache is a mildly alcoholic pineapple wine that can be made with just a few ingredients and a little patience in any home. Pulque, requiring slightly more work,...
Recipe: Nopal Pico de Gallo
This is a fantastic raw salsa (salsa cruda) to serve with beans and rice, tacos, or on top of grilled fish: Ingredients 2 small prickly-pear (nopal) pads, chopped into 1 cm cubes (1/2 inch cubes) 1 ripe Roma tomato (or any nice red tomato), chopped into 1 cm cubes. 1⁄2 red onion, diced – 1⁄2...
Nopales
A cactus salad, scrambled eggs with cactus, a cactus shake … probably doesn’t make most people’s mouths water with culinary anticipation, but nopales –the flat paddles of the Opuntia cactus– have a rich history in Mexican cuisine and are a fine addition to a healthy diet. Nopales are so revered in Mexico that you will...
Top 10 Mexican Holiday Dishes
The holidays are different for everyone. Some like to make their home the center of the festivities and some like to be a guest. Many of our readers visit Zihuatanejo to get away from it all and enjoy the Mexican ways of celebrating amongst the sun and the sand. As for me, I have spent...
Recipe: Pierna (Pork Leg)
By Rosa Arizmendi, chef at El Manglar
Ingredients: 8 to 10 kilos of pork leg (or you can use rib eye if preferred) 3 tablespoons onion powder 3 tablespoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon black pepper A dash of oregano juice of 1 orange 1 cup brandy 5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 3 tablespoons maggy sauce (you can find this at your local Mexican...
Mexico’s Wine Country
Valle de Guadalupe
The New World of Wine Today, Baja California is incontestably the major wine region of Mexico. Located northeast of Ensenada in the Mexican state of Baja California, the Valle de Guadalupe produces the majority of Mexican wine—more than 90% of Mexican wine, in fact, comes from this area. Who would have thought that this inhospitable...
Mexican Cuisine and Wine
A Flavorful and Complicated Union
Castilian Spanish uses the word maridaje (marriage) to talk about the association between a dish and a wine. This word is inspired by the French term mariage, “marriage” in English. As in a marriage between two people, the goal in culinary maridajes is to achieve total harmony. To come to a fair balance we must...
